While there are many conceivable ways to carry an object, such as a bike, on the exterior of a vehicle, one general classification encompasses roof-mounted bike carriers. While the term "roof" is used, it is understood that this also includes mounting on top of vehicles such as trucks, where the bike carrier is mounted over the truck bed.
Basically, there are two types of bike carriers being used today to transport bikes on the rooftop of a vehicle. There is a fork-mount bike carrier and a ride-ready bike carrier.
In the first type of bike carrier, the fork-mount bike carrier, the front wheel of the bicycle must be removed so that the front wheel forks can be mounted and secured into a holding device. By securing the front wheel forks, the bicycle is further stabilized. The rear wheel remains attached to the bike and is secured to the bike carrier via a wheel holding device.
In the second type of bike carrier, the ride-ready bike carrier, the user can transport a bicycle without having to remove the front wheel. This means that the bike is ready to ride, without any assembly required, when removed from the ride-ready bike carrier. With the ride-ready bike carrier, both the front and rear wheels are secured to the bike carrier via a wheel holding device. For further security and stability, the bike frame can be stabilized through the use of a support arm.
However, both of these bike carriers have some shortcomings. For example, one of the disadvantages of the first type of carrier, the fork-mount bike carrier, is that it is inconvenient and time consuming to remove the front wheel from the bike whenever the bike is mounted to the carrier, and to put the front wheel back on whenever the bike is removed from the carrier.
Furthermore, one of the disadvantages of the second type of carrier, the ride-ready bike carrier, is that the placement of the bike carrier on the rooftop of the vehicle makes it difficult for some people to lift their bikes above the rooftop of the vehicle, and then mount it to the carrier. The height of the roof-mounted bike carrier sometimes requires the use of a step-ladder, chair, or other means of elevating the person comfortably above the rooftop of the vehicle. Although the use of such an object is inconvenient and can be dangerous, it is almost a necessity for taller vehicles and/or shorter people.
These height disadvantages also exist in other implementations of roof-mounted carriers, such as enclosed cargo compartments, which are difficult to load due to their elevated placement atop a vehicle.
Referring back to the bike carriers, in both the fork-mount and ride-ready bike carriers, a plurality of bikes are typically mounted in a side-by-side configuration. This creates a substantial amount of aerodynamic drag when mounted on a vehicle traveling at freeway speeds, thereby reducing the gas mileage of the vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need for a carrier that simplifies the loading and carrying of objects on the rooftop of vehicles. There is also a need for an improved carrier that gives a user the option to transport a bike in a ride-ready or fork-mount configuration, and further enables that user, regardless of the height of the vehicle or the person, to attach their bike to the roof-mounted bike carrier without the use of a step-ladder, chair, or other inconvenient and potentially dangerous object. Furthermore, there is a need for an improved bike carrier that reduces the aerodynamic drag created by a plurality of bikes mounted on top of the vehicle.